The field of the invention pertains to automotive vehicles and, in particular to signaling the presence of a hidden stationary or moving vehicle.
Hidden driveways and alleys present an ever present hazard when a motor vehicle is about to pull out across a sidewalk and into a street carrying ongoing pedestrian or vehicular traffic. There are few things scarier than having to pull out onto a road when the view to the side of the driver is obstructed.
A second hazard caused by obstructed view arises from trucks, buses and SUV's. One of the biggest fears and complaints of truck, bus and SUV drivers is that the high position of the drivers and shape of their vehicles prevents them from seeing any persons or objects that may be within one of the many blind spots that exist on their vehicles. This fear is especially widespread among drivers of trucks that have no rear windows and families with both small children and an SUV or large van.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,988 discloses electric circuits for flashing the brake, turn signal and back-up lights in sequence to more readily attract attention to the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,878 discloses vehicle side-mounted back-up lights to provide illumination to both right rear and left rear areas of the vehicles. Depending on the forward location of these side-mounted lights considerable area to each side of the vehicle can't be illuminated.
In contrast to lighting U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,426 discloses a plurality of electronic obstacle detection sensors mounted at the rear of a truck. The driver is signaled the presence and approximate location of an obstacle relative to the truck. U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,101 discloses a forward facing brake light to indicate that a following vehicle is applying its brakes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,524 discloses side illumination lights mounted at the front left and right corners of a vehicle for selectively illuminating to the front right and front left of the vehicle.